


Foundling

by Dellessa



Series: Halfling Chronicles [4]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Child Neglect, Crack Treated Seriously, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Off-screen Relationship(s), off screen murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 19:34:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5940562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellessa/pseuds/Dellessa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>North finds a bit more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foundling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thepheonixqueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepheonixqueen/gifts).



North moved through the second level. He was clearing half of this floor. The last thing in the world they wanted to do was leave anyone behind. York was a floor down, and Wash was still being guarded by Main, but he could not help but worry about them both. The months that Wash was missing had been hard on them both. 

He looked in each room he came to, checking in the closets, and under the bed. He had not found anyone yet, but he had heard the shouts of others locating survivors, and they were survivors. He had been down in the dungeon, saw the discarded bodies, the residue of ritual magick and the soot stained ruins on the floor. Lord Church had said that Hargrove was stealing their life-force from them when he grew bored of them. Maine’s Delta would have been next if the notes they found were to be believed.

North shuddered at that thought. He was glad they had found them in time. Maine was a good man and did not deserve to lose his beloved in such a manner. 

He went to the next door, finding it locked. It must have been one of the few untouched in the raid. He knelt down, picking the lock. He was nowhere near as quick about it as York, but the pins finally fell into place, and the door swung open. He stepped inside, and froze. He looked around at the torture devices, feeling suddenly ill. There were stains on the floor that could only be blood. There was a door beyond that, which he moved to. That door at least locked from that side. He undid the deadbolt, afraid of what he would find. It was like a prison cell, a small bed was pushed against the wall, and there was little else in the cell aside from a latrine on one side. It smelled. Enough to choke North. 

He thought the room was empty, but he heard a whimper. North knelt down, and looked under the bed, his eyes going wide when he spotted the child. He was hiding in a dark coloured blanket, but it wasn’t covering his head. It was hard to miss the bright pink hair or the faintly glowing purple eyes. This was no halfling. His ears were long and delicately pointed. 

“Go away,” the child said in fear. “Go away. Master will get mad. Go away.” 

“You’re...Hargrove has fled, child. He’s not here. Please come out.” 

“You’re lying. He wouldn’t leave me. He said he would keep me safe.” The child pressed himself back against the wall. “No.” 

“I’m not lying, child. Please come out. You must be hungry and thirsty. Please,” North coaxed.

“It’s not my day to eat,” the child whispered. “This is a trick.” 

“No. It’s not. I promise.” 

The child whined. “Can’t had an accident.” He whimpered. “Please don’t punish me. Please. It was an accident.” 

“Shh...I’m not going to hurt you. Let me get you something to wrap up in and we will get you cleaned up. Okay?” 

“Okay,” the child whispered. 

“North? What are you...oh shit! What in the fucking hell is this---what the hell---” York sputtered from the first room. 

North stood, peeking out. “Can you get me some towels? Or a blanket? I need something to cover him up with.” 

“Cover who...” York’s brows knitted together.

“A child, York. There is a child in here. Please hurry up.” 

“Fuck. In here? What the---no---never mind---I’ll be right back.” York’s footsteps faded away, but came back within a few minutes, carrying a blanket. 

“Is there a bath on this end of the castle?” North asked and put the blanket on the bed. “Come out. There is a blanket on the bed. Wrap yourself up in it and we will get you cleaned up and in some clothes.” 

North watched the child scramble out from under the bed. He was wearing a simple version of the loincloth that Delta and Wash had worn, and simple gold collar and cuffs. 

He shed the soiled loin cloth, and wrapped himself up in the blanket. “You aren’t going to whip me? Master has Felix whip me when I’m bad.” 

“No, no we aren’t,” North said, frowning. He picked the child up carefully, noting how thin he was and how each rib stood out. 

“Follow me. The baths are this way,” York said.

“What is your name, child?” North asked. 

“Aerintheta Ninaeldir. He just called me Theta though, so I guess Theta is fine. I guess it’s fine. What are you going to do with me?” 

“Get you cleaned and dressed for starters,” North said, “And then we will figure it out.” He bit his lip. “Theta did Hargrove touch you?”

Theta’s brows wrinkled together. “Like the people in the playroom? No. Sometimes he’d make me watch. It looked horrible. He said that would be me some day, but I wasn’t ready yet.” 

North and York exchanged a glance. “Here, they’re here,” York said, opening a door and cutting off North’s reply. 

“I’ll clean him up. Go get him something to wear.” 

York ran the water into the small tub, and placed him in it once it was full enough. He handed Theta a soapy wash cloth, and helped him wash out his long hair. It was not just pink, but darkened at the ends to a deep purple. Theta hid under the curtain of his hair, only his long ears sticking out. 

York finally coaxed him out of the warm water once he was clean and rinsed off. He dried him off, and braided the long hair. It went past his knees when combed out. 

“They are going to be a bit big,” North said as he finally came back. He carried a tunic, underclothes, breeches and a long cloak. They had to tie most of it up, rolling up the legs on the breeches. “Just bundle him up, it’s cold outside, and we probably won’t find anything that would fit until we are back at home.” 

Theta touched the fabric, rubbing it against his skin. “It’s soft, and warm.” 

North wrapped him in another blanket before picking him up again. He headed out towards the camp, with York trailing after him. 

Theta relaxed against him, snuggling into the warmth. 

“We should get Wash, and talk to him before you do anything rash,” York said. 

“What do you mean by rash?” North stopped and looked back. 

“I mean he probably has parents. He probably has people to go back to.” York crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s not a pet you can just bring home, North. He’s a child.” 

“Yes, he is a child who deserves stability.” 

They collected Washington from Maine’s care, he looked puzzled by the bundle in North’s arms. His brows went up in surprise when the pink hair and rosy cheeks popped out. “We’re getting a child?” 

“Frag me, not you too,” York said in exasperation. “I give up. Just freaking make sure his parents aren’t going to come after us and murder us in our sleep. I’m going to talk to Felix. Fragger better tell me what happened.” 

‘He doesn’t like me, does he?” Theta whispered. 

“No, it’s not that, kiddo,” North said. “He’s just worried.” 

“What’s your name?” Washington asked. “I’m David, but you can call me Wash.” 

Theta gave him a shy smile, “Theta.” 

They walked through the camp and into the tent North and York had claimed as their own. There was padding on the floor heaped with blankets, pillows, and soft furs. North tucked him in. “Rest for now. We will get this all sorted out.” 

“Will I get to stay with you? I think I would like that. Please?” Theta whispered.

“Can’t he?” Washington whined. “Please, North.” 

“If I have my way, yes.”

oOoOoOo

York growled when he came back, “Stupid Drows, bragged about it.” 

“I take it Felix talked?” Wash asked. Theta was using his lap as a pillow, the child deep in sleep. Washington smoothed the child’s hair back.

“Oh, he talked,” York snapped. “He had a lot to say about how easy it was for them to take you, about how they killed Theta’s parents. Kid’s parents were political exiles. No one is going to come for him, and I kinda doubt it would be safe to send him back.” 

“He can stay with us then?” Wash whispered. 

“You sure you want that?” York asked. 

“North is attached already, and he’s a good kid. He went through some bad things. Yeah...I want him to stay with us. It’s not like we can have kids anyways. Kinda always wanted them. Even thought...well...you know.” 

“I’m well aware.” York sat down on bed pad, and curled up next to Washington. “Where is North?” 

“Our bonded is talking to my father, and making arrangements for us to go back home. He offered to take the refugees with us.”

“That was kind of him,” York said.

“It is. They need a safe place to stay. Even Omega. He’s a horse's ass, but Frank is nice. Poor kid. I don’t know how he got involved with a Drow, but they clearly love each other,” Washington said. 

“I didn’t see a Drow other than Felix and Locus,” York said, his brows knitting together.

“Frank probably has a glamour on him. He’s fay. Well a fay healer. He chatters a lot when he’s upset, and he was always upset there. Hargrove would use him to control Omega.” Wash looked up at York, noting the puzzled look on his face.

“Glamour?” 

“Glamourie. It’s like...an illusion, only...it affects all of the senses. Fay can do them as easily as breathing. I don’t think they would exist otherwise. They are not warriors.” 

The tent flap opened interrupting whatever else David would have said. North stepped inside followed by the Church’s resident healer. David cringed away. 

“Hello Emmeline.” 

“Please dear, Emily. We’ve discussed this.” She turned to North, and Sean. “Shoo. This will go much easier with you gone.” 

David whined as he watched them go, leaving him with Emily Grey and Theta. Not where he wanted to be. Not at all. She would tell them the extent of it. “Can’t this wait?” 

“Oh, no dear. I’m not going to give you a chance to cover up how hurt you really are. Now strip.”

David groaned, “I hate you.” 

He closed his eyes and listened to her chanting, then felt the cracked rib begin to knit itself together. “Oh, darling, you know you don’t. He did a number on you. I can fix most of this. You have some internal injuries. I will heal them, but no sex for a while. I will not have you ruining my hard work. We’ll let the bruises heal on their own. The lacerations on your back looks nasty though, and the brand...I’m not sure I can make it fade completely.

David sighed, and closed his eyes. “Just fix what you can. I will find a way to get it covered up.” 

“Fine.” She pressed her hands against his skin and he could feel the wound on his shoulder healing. It itched horribly.

oOoOoOo

Emily gave David a sleeping draught, and waited until he was asleep before she turned her attention to Theta. “Wake up, Little one. Let me examine you.” 

Theta opened his eyes, and let out a little squeak, backing up until he hit Washington’s prone form. “What did you do to Wash? Who are you?” 

“I’m Emily. I’m a healer. I just want to look you over to make sure you are okay. Do you hurt anywhere?”

Theta shook his head, and made no move to come closer to the woman. “I’m fine. Go away.” 

“Oh, no, sweetie. I need to make sure you’re okay. Please come here,” She said in a coaxing voice.

Theta nodded, putting Wash between them. “No. Go’way. I’m fine. I want to stay with them. Not going back to master.” 

“Oh, sweetie. I wouldn't send you back to that nasty man. I’d never do that. I promise. I just want to make sure you aren’t sick. North was worried about you, sweetie.” 

“You talked to North?” Theta hesitated and finally moved closer. 

She took his hands and hummed. “Malnourished. We will need to get you on a better diet, sweetie. You need some flesh on your bones. Did he leave any marks on you?” 

He pushed his shirt up, and revealed a brand---much like the one on Washington---on his hip. She touched it, and it began to fade until it was just pale scar tissue and far less noticeable. 

“Your bones are not nearly as strong as they should be, that at least is something I can help with,” Emily said. “You are young enough that it is still fixable though.” 

He heard her say something in a tongue he did not recognize, and it made him feel odd and heavier. 

“There we go,” Emily said. She left go of his hands and stood up, going to the tent-flap she opened it and let York and North in.

“Are you going back to your estate Lord Gudbrand?” Emily asked. 

North pulled a face, “Ugh. Don't call me that. It’s North. Just North.” 

York snickered behind him, “No, please, call him that again.” 

“I hate you,” North huffed, glaring back at York before turning his attention back to Emily. “I am. We are. It is settled, I suppose.” 

“Oh, good. I would like to accompany you then. He will need treatment for a while. His bones are weaker than they should be, and he will need to be on a special diet to strengthen them.” 

“Fine. If you can get the King’s permission,” North said. 

“I can’t see where I will have any problem with that. I am sure he will be happy to get me out of his hair. Carolina finds me to be...a distraction. She is the heir, so that will not do at all,” Emily said, her tone strangely neutral.

North nodded, “We will be leaving in the morning. Just have your gear ready.” 

“I will be.” She nodded to him, and slipped out of the tent. 

“Where are we going?” Theta asked once she left. 

“We’re going home, Theta,” North said and ruffled the child’s hair.


End file.
